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Today was a day of renewing friendships.
In the morning, I met some friends from Nova Scotia. I believe we are the only Canadians here. We had a wonderful time catching up and had lunch together. A good proportion of the eating establishments are buffet style where you pay by the kilo. We ventured into one of those places. Don't ask me what I had! But it was reasonably good.
The convention was scheduled to be at the local Convention Centre but at the last minute they had to change which resulted in some challenges.
Two of the people I reconnected with we're BJ Mpofu and his wife Chipoto. BJ was a star Rugby player in Zimbabwe and Rugby is a major sport there. He would be like the Zimbabwean Wayne Gretzky. He could have lived a life of fame and luxury after his playing days were over but he chose to run an orphanage. When the AIDS epidemic hit the number of orphans increase so dramatically that they were overwhelmed.
But the best story of the day concerns Chipoto. Eight years ago in Brighton she was wearing a beautiful traditional dress and a women there expressed so much admiration for the dress that she have it to her.
When the Mpofu's arrived in Brazil, Chipoto's luggage didn't. They said it would take a week for them to get it. She had only the clothes on her back. And to buy stuff here is not something budgeted.
But the woman she gave the dress to 8 years ago is here, had packed the dress to wear here, and heard about the luggage, Today, she returned the dress to Chipoto so she two outfits to wear now.
Tonight was the opening service. It is a reminder that in most of the world, time is relative. Stuff happens when it happens. It is a lesson we sometimes need to be reminded of because it is not necessarily a bad thing.
And I must say when the Brazilians do somehing they do it with much energy, enthusiasm, and gusto. It is an experience that is really indescribable.
One of the challenges of moving the location is that bus transportation needed to be provided. After things wrapped up tonight to say that Chaos reigned would not be an understatement. I had walked from the hotel to the venue later in afternoon. It took 40 minutes. Tonight the bus for our hotel took an hour to arrive for pickup after the event. It then took 40 minutes to go to 3 hotels that are only a few blocks apart. I'm sure the driver was lost because even though I've only been here a couple of days, I recognized some landmarks that should not be on any logical route.
But you just have to laugh. Part of travel always involves surprises so the ability to roll with the punches is crucial.
It could have been worse. There was a group that were scheduled to leave Brasilia today at noon on what should have been a 3 hour trip. They arrived at 11. For those that know some of the people that group included Lyndsay & Lorraine Jacobs from New Zealand.
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C Say hi to L and L for me!